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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. mate — a friend
  4. rash — hasty
  5. dip — to sink
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. drill — the tool
  8. march — the month
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — a practice
  11. march — music
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. march — the month
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mate — to breed
  17. rash — a series
  18. mate — a partner
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bass — the fish
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bass — low music
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — a supporter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com